Nothybidae

The family Nothybidae contains only the genus Nothybus, a group of colorful and elongated flies.

Taxonomy and description

The morphology of Nothybidae is distinctive. Their protothoraces are elongated, with their front legs arising far back on the thorax, posterior to the anterior thoracic spiracles, making their heads appear to rest on a long neck. They are also distinguished by their narrow wing bases, patterned wings, rayed aristae, and swollen subscutella. Nine nothybid species are described. First placed in Micropezidae, Frey recognized Nothybus as deserving a suprageneric rank, and Aczel raised the family Nothybidae. While this group is placed in the Diopsoidea, its evolutionary relationships have never been robustly tested in a modern phylogenetic framework with molecular or morphological data. It is one of the few fly families for which no DNA data are available on NCBI GenBank.

Biology

The biology of the Nothybidae is poorly known, and the larval habitat is unknown. Some species may be larviparous, as mature larvae have been found in preserved adult female specimens.